E7: In Search of Truth with Aravind Srinivas of Perplexity AI

We talked to Aravind Srinivas about competing with the tech giants, Perplexity's product philosophy and obsession with maximizing value delivered to the user per unit time, and the features that makes Perplexity unique. We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com . (0:00) Preview (1:31) Introduction & Context (08:06) Aravind’s vision for Perplexity as the world’s most truth-centric company (9:29) Raising the average IQ of the world (12:00) Aravind’s favorite tech entrepreneur (15:12) “Anthropics” - Building your own model vs user experience (33:00) Why is perplexity free (43:00) Talking shop: Perplexity’s tech stack and speed (1:06:00) Perplexity’s stance on guardrails on search (1:19:48) Forecasting weakly general AGI: The four criteria (1:28:00) Aravind’s perspective on OpenAI and the future of AGI (1:39:00) The Cognitive Revolution’s rapid fire questions: Neuralink implant? Most used AI tools? AI hopes and fears? Twitter handles: @CogRev_Podcast @AravSrinivas (Aravind) @labenz (Nathan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) SPONSOR: SHOPIFY: Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of ALL eCommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries.From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/cognitive Join 1000's of subscribers of our Substack: https://cognitiverevolution.substack.com/ References & Shownotes: Flamingo: https://www.deepmind.com/blog/tackling-multiple-tasks-with-a-single-visual-language-model Decision Transformer Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.01345 Aravind on TalkRL Podcast: https://www.talkrl.com/episodes/aravind-srinivas-2 Weakly General AGI Criteria: https://www.metaculus.com/questions/3479/date-weakly-general-ai-is-publicly-known/ RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co .